


Real Problems

by avian



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Headcanon, No Romance, Platonic Relationships, Post-Game(s), okay maybe a little romance but it aint the main focus, plenty of headcanons here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-05-24 14:31:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14956434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avian/pseuds/avian
Summary: After the revolution, Simon, Ralph, and the Jerrys are left to their own devices.They're wandering, feeling, and experiencing. They're free.So is everybody else.





	1. Chapter 1

Beneath his feet, the dried autumn leaves crunched, leaving an oddly satisfying sound in Simon's ears. The park was filled with families, friends, lovers, androids, and humans. He found himself smiling at the sight.

He sat on a bench by the playground, listening to the laughter of little children. The area was surrounded by guardians, making sure their kids don't get themselves into trouble. Cold air swept the area, rustling the trees and bumping the balloons sold by a brunette in a cap.

Simon looked around, taking in he atmosphere. Some faces were unique, others shared among androids. A slim woman with a ponytail played in the seesaw with a little girl. Another of the same model had shorter hair in blonde, holding hands with a guy of asian descent. One more bought a balloon shaped like a sheep. Hell, it even moved around like one.

Suddenly, an android in roller skates whizzed by, followed by a dog. Simon could hear the man squeal "Woohoo!" in the distance, followed by a dog's bark, as he inadvertently crashes into an automated recycling set. He could see people nearby rushing to his aid as he yelled "I'm okay!" from the chute.

"At least he wore a helmet." Simon stated as he observed the scene, people working together to help the man up.

To think, some months ago, this would never be a possible sight to see.

The man selling balloons rushed to the commotion screaming, carrying a first aid kit. "Excuse me, is everything alright over there?"

Simon furrowed his eyebrows. If the seller is there with a kit in his hands, where are all his balloons?

Looking back, he saw that the saller was still there, servicing a family of 5. _Oh._

Beside the seller android was another of the same model. Standing there.

Something about how he stood there unsettled Simon, yet nobody seemed to mind.

He stared at him, waiting for the look alike to do anything. The robot, noticing Simon, waved and smiled. Simon gave a little wave before looking back to the skater in the set.

The dog was being pet by several other people while the skater walked alongside the seller model. "You had a few scratches on your knees. You sure showed that set who's boss! Haha. These band aids have nanobots that help reconstruct your skin. Do you need anything, Jason?" The androids stopped walking.

"Oh, me? Uh." Jason stuttered, then lit up. "You know what? I've always wanted to try ice cream. How much is it?" His wavy hair jumped with him. "Oh, no sir. This one is on the house. Keep on trying new things, friend!"

A few seconds later, another of the same model walked up to them, ice cream in hand. Jason nearly vibrated in excitement. He gasped. "rA9! Jerry! Thank you!" He said, nearly ripping the cone out of the android.

"Anything for adventurers." The androids spoke in unison, bowing. Simon squinted.

The android held his skates in one hand and the treat in the other, walking towards the dog from earlier.

Jerry and... Jerry smiled to each other, then proceeded to go back to whatever the two of them were doing. Simon leaned forward, eyed the skater-help duo, then at the seller Jerry.

The seller, seeing his gaze, motioned him to come over, interpreting his stare as hesitation to approach.

Simon blinked in surprised. "Why not?" He thought, going to Jerry #1. Besides, theres an airplane balloon he'd been eyeing for a while now. It looked so detailed and cool.

"Come! Don't be afraid. Balloons are for all." Jerry #1 felt inviting, like those others from earlier. "My name is Jerry." Much like the helpers. "What can I get you?"

"The airplane, please." Simon linked for a transaction, but Jerry stopped him. "No need." He said, handing the flying plane to the PL600. Simon reached out, but stopped halfway.

_Do I... deserve this...?_

Simon looked distant, pulling his hand back. Jerry's face fell.

Hse slowly put the balloon in Simon's hand and closed it. Simon looked at the seller. He smiled. "Sir. Balloons are for _all._ Child, human, or android."

Simon gripped the airplane moving around, a bit in shock. This Jerry reminded him of Markus, the droid who led androids to freedom. Someone who made him feel worth... something. He had flashed a somber smile looking at the balloon.

Reminiscing or wishing? Jerry couldn't quite tell. The view flashed through all the Jerries in the area, filling each with a feeling of unexplainable sadness. Some even stopped working for a few seconds. It was a bittersweet sight.

"W-what's your name?" He asked, attempting to get rid of the depressing atmosphere. Simon looked at him, looking lost. "Me? Yeah. My name is Simon."

Jerry nodded. "Simon, we hope we'll be seeing you around more often."

He was taken a bit aback by the statement. He blinked several times and snapped out of it. "Me too."

He walked the opposite direction, heading towards a bench with a less crowded scenery. The seller Jerry took notice as more people came to get balloons.

 _List: Simon, Android under "Make Happy"_ , he communicated with the others.

_Nobody gets in this park and leaves sad or self loathing._

 


	2. Chapter 2

  
Ralph took a deep breath at the abandoned house he's found to call home. Being in that camp did a number in his already crumbling mental state. Did it count as a mental state if he was an android? As Ralph moved forward, clothes he found from the barren fields from the uprising covering his skin, he tried to assure himself that it didn't matter.

"This house is Ralph's house, yes." He muttered to himself. "Ralph stays in this house. Humans abandoned the house, so Ralph took it."

The chainlink fence felt natural underneath his fingertips. The place was untouched. It was just as Ralph left it before the revolution.

So why didn't it feel as welcoming as it should be?

Ralph took a step back, sparks clinking from his wounds. His LED shone red in confusion. He attempted grabbing at his neck for the familiar feeling of the grimy, black coat. He clawed, only to find nothing.

This is everything he was left with now. The house that ended and started a series of events in the android's life. The only constant in his world. The clothes were forced out of him. His individuality was treated as a mistake. He couldn't even provide for a little girl.

He didn't like that.

Flashes of his life from before now made its way into his optical biocomponent, from his work at the garden, to the deviancy, the little girl, and the camp.

"Not safe-- it's not safe!" He screamed, running to the opposite direction. The house loomed over him, seemingly following him after every step.

The sound of drivers and automated cars halting to a stop rang through the androids ears. Humans and androids looked alive as a beaten up robot ran like his life depended on it.

He didn't want to look back in fear of seeing the house again. Bad memories. Bad things. Bad Ralph.

_Don't bad things only happen to bad people?_

He looked around, terrified of how people would see him. He looked deranged and stupid and broken and so many eyes were on him.

Humans and androids seemed to scrutinize his every move. He ran faster and faster. "Ah! Stop looking at Ralph!" He mustered, voice rising up to a shout.

He could feel something terrible creeping up behind him. As people in shock gave way or ran the opposite direction, Ralph felt like he was going to be consumed. Simply of his own action or inaction. To him, the house was now a reminder that the best thing he had in his life wasn't even maintained or decent.

His past was nothing. His attack was the reason he strayed from his programming. The one thing that granted him his freedom took his sanity and trust with it.

He knew it was a matter of time before he would succumb to the after effect of his experiences. He stood near the sidewalk, prepared to let it all go when saw it.

To the right of Ralph was a small green area filled with people, stands, and children.

They even have little automated pieces of plastic that hover in the air. Slowing down, he could spot one that looked like a cartoon rabbit. It hopped and hopped around like it was alive.

Suddenly, Ralph didn't feel so stuck. The dread disappeared with the red in his light.

Many gathered around the brunette in a cap as he gave them the flying things. The android looked from the gate, amazed.

It wasn't just the balloons and the people that drew him in. It was the othe life around those people. The grass was a mesmerizing parade of reds and yellows while the trees shuffled against the autumn current. Pollen invaded the air as the occassional sneezes could be heard faintly from his position.

Tall, barky, short, and thin trees decorated the area with an aura of comfort. Perhaps it was the desaturation of the leaves or the way the made the park feel less like a commercial area and more like a preserve. Perhaps in a way, it was.

Ralph found it relaxing.

"Trees." His LED, for the first time in months, shone the rare shade of cool blue. "Ralph... pretty."

Childlike wonder gleamed from his eyes. He observed all around the park-- flowers, bushes, weeds, and the atmosphere-- it felt safe.

A worker from the park spotted him from the outside. He walked towards him. "Hey there, sir!" He greeted with a smile. "Our name is Jerry! Could we interest you in anything?"

Ralph nearly jumped, light going orange. "Ralph is sorry! Ralph will leave, he promises!"

He was ready to put his bomber jacket on his head, running to who knows where when the man spoke again. "Wait!" He said, nearly knocking the fence over.

Ralph looked back at him, confused. "...what?"

"We didn't mean to scare you-- we just-" He trailed off.

"We saw you looking at the balloons earlier." He whispered playfully. Ralph took it as a segway to getting reprimanded. With reprimand is bad things.

"U--uh. Ralph is-- uh-- Ralph-" He froze. He can't let this happen again.

Jerry noticed his LED and reeled himself back. "Oh, sir, It's not a problem, really." He insisted, making sure the stress level doesn't go high. "We actually came to tell you that you can have one."

The gardening android softened. His hands pressed themselves together for comfort in the unusual situation. "Ralph can... get that one?" He whispered, nervous of the worker's intention.

The worker pulled his cap down and communicated with the seller. He could see Ralph point to the animate bunny balloon. "Of course!" The robot opened his arms and exclaimed. "Balloons are for all!"

Ralph ducked his head, irritated by the man's volume.

Jerry's eyes widened in realization. "Oh. Sorry." He eased, leaning back a little. The air grew tense as they waited. "Why don't we... show you around the park? It's really cool, we swear!"

He looked to both his sides, then at the park. Sure, it looked nice enough. All of it seemed inviting, yet Ralph couldn't help but sense a feeling of uncertainty.

Jerry leaned forward to put a hand on Ralph's shoulder, but decided against it. The seller had already walked all the way to deliver the balloon.

 _Damaged,_ he communicated.

 _Not on our watch,_ they reminded.

"It'll be great, we promise!" The seller Jerry thrusted his hand forward, the rabbit floating above head.

"We won't let anybody do anything." The worker promised.

Before Ralph could answer, the gate swung open, giving him access to inside the place.

"A new section of life awaits you beyond these doors!" Jerry one motioned his hand across the scenery.

"Think fun, think happy. The adventure is about to begin!"

Ralph stared at the balloon and grabbed it from the Jerry.

For an adult model android, he was the most fragile child they've seen.

He looked at them with a new sparkle in his eyes and smiled from ear to ear. "Adventure, adventure! Ralph wants adventure!"


	3. Chapter 3

The park was booming with life on all fronts. Smiles and chuckles littered the area, filling the EM400's with a sense of accomplishment. Yes, they were deviant. They were free to do whatever they pleased.

As such, they chose to do what they knew best: making people happy.

The Pirate Cove lasted a long, long while and made people of all ages feel like they were travelling in a wonderland of scurvy sea ravagers. They themselves would feel like they were this threatening figure travelling the Seven Seas.

They liked what they did.

"...and blueberry for the updating software of the android!" Jerry handed the cottony treat to the little boy. The mother giggled. "I didn't even know he could want food! Technology these days, right?"

"It's the future, ma'am. It's wonderful. Here's your strawberry."

The woman took a huge bite out of the candy, the boy looking in awe. He tried to eat as much as his guardian did, only to nibble out a small part from the top. "Hmph! Only big people can do it!" He cried.

The lady thanked the Jerry and bent on her knee, eye leveling with the child. "Just you wait! You'll be upgraded into a fine, young, teenager model I'll make only for you. Then, you can bite as much as I did."

Jerry could see the boy smile wide from his stand. Humans had great understanding of anybody they wanted to understand. It was a human thing the EM400's wanted to replicate.

As deviants, that became much easier.

Although, often it was a curse more than a blessing. The sad smiles they knew to fix before became much bigger. They understood why they felt the way they did in a much deeper perspective.

The PL600 and busted up robot triggered more responses than it should. They had an objective they've set for themselves, and they'll go through with it.

 _How is Ralph doing?_ Jerry asked the others.

 _So we're not sticking with the nickname?_ Another responded.

 _We thought we agreed. We know many Ralph's in the park._ One replied.

_He's okay. He needs more time around nature, we think. It calms him._

Cotton candy Jerry nodded and focused on his task, satisfied.

Passing by the pathway adjacent to their cart was the man. Ralph.

He was eccentric. Not by choice, they knew that much.

Ralph was being introduced to the oldest thing within the park: a huge oak tree planted back when people newly discovered one of Pluto's moons

"...because of the time of discovery, the tree was called Charon, also known as the Greek ferryman who escorted people who just died to the underworld! That's a bit of trivia for today." Jerry continued, Ralph scanning the tree from top to bottom, movements looking less constrained that earlier.

"Sixty years, and she's still standing. She taken care of pretty well to be going on 61."

The man blinked, deep in thought.

Jerry leaned forward, concerned. "Shall we continue the tour?"

Ralph continued studying the tree, unmoving. His rabbit moved around with the motion of the breeze.

The cotton seller gave the worker a look. The worker shrugged.

"Hybrid. H-hybrid Poplar tree. Very very pretty. Good soil makes the tree grow fast." He muttered to nobody in particular. "Yellow, round leaves. The park has cold air. Poplar trees like cold air."

They looked at him, surprised. "Ah... yes. That's correct." The guide whispered.

"What was that?" Ralph asked.

"Oh, it's nothing, really. We were... shocked." He admitted. "It's not everyday you meet an android who knows their nature."

Ralph opened his mouth to talk, but shut it quickly. "The Jerry needs to keep his distance. Ralph doesn't want to talk about it." He hunched, looking down.

"Hey-- it's not something to be ashamed of. It's awesome that you know this stu-"

"Ralph said he DOESN'T want to TALK ABOUT IT!" he lashed, lights flashing red.

Everyone around the area looked at him, startled by the noise. Simon, sitting near the eastern park fence had heard the commotion all the way from the center. Ralph kept his eyes fixed on Jerry. The worker was taken aback, flustered, having experienced a situation scripted into their events server.

The problem was that it didn't include how they would've felt.

Ralph saw the worry in Jerry's eyes. "We..." His voice came out soft. The others of his model went to divert attention from the situation.

Ralph gave small gasps reminiscent of sobbing and sat down on the ground. "Ralph regrets what he said to Jerry. Ralph's anger made him yell at a curious person."

He looked up at the worker. "Not good."

The man huddled near the tree, worker following suite.

Jerry tried his best to replicate Ralph's position. It's the best way to approach according to his psychology program.

Ralph dug his chin deeper into his arms, hiding it behind his knees. Jerry followed. The rabbit balloon rested on its own invisible floor, pulled down with the string tied to Ralph's palm.

The ones caught in earshot of his outburst returned to what they had been doing. The sun's rays protruded out the spaces between the leaves of the old tree, scattering light across both of their faces. 

The offputting silence was replaced by a cold autumn draft. It was nice.

There were more than enough Jerrys to go around in the park. One out to comfort someone shouldn't be too much of a hassle.

\-----

Simon looked on to the tree to see an android with a broken face, knees huddles together, staring in the distance with Jerry to his right.

He smiled and let out a chuckle. Some people are made to make people feel better. Others decide to do so.

The Jerrys were a weird case. At least to Simon it is. They had the choice to do anything they imagined they could do after the declaration of rights, yet they decided to do what they did before anyway.

He was intrigued, to say the least. A stray yellow leaf landed on his shoulders, only to be swatted away by someone.

His arm jerked, airplane moving with it. Simon stood from the chair, turned around, and prepared in a fighting stance, only to be greeted by Jerry. "Sorry! Something landed on your shoulder. Keep doing what you were doing before we interrupted."

Simon tilted his head, the intriguing android about to leave when he spoke.

"Why do you say 'we'? Same with your other models." He asked, taking a few steps forward. "Are you... a hive mind?"

Jerry nodded enthusiastically, having been used to the question. "Yes, we are! Even still, many of us are deviant, so we tend to have different thoughts. We're still a tight band of brothers, though!"

Simon's expression soured. "You're not _all_ deviant?"

Jerry's eyebrows furrowed "Is it not supposed to happen?" He chuckled nervously, unsure of where things are going.

Simon stared at nothing, trying to make anything of his words.

"Are _you_ deviant?"


	4. Chapter 4

Jerry shrugged. "What does it matter  _now?_

We're free."

* * *

 

The sun's rays grew harsher. To Simon's delight, many of the people had decided to leave for someplace else. Children slowly evacuated the playground as the park's crowd thinned out.

In a way, Simon was jealous. These people left because they had other places to be or had to go home to houses they call their own.

The past month was made up of him, Josh, North, and Markus representing the androids for their very own Bill of Rights and Magna Carta. After that, everyone went their own ways.

Markus and North wasted no time finding a house and moving in together. He wanted to enjoy what they fought for and she had no problem with that. Of course, Markus is still the ambassador for androids. He just makes sure the majority of his time isn't taken up by his duties as an icon.

Josh was recently elected a place into congress as an advocate of peace. Markus was offered the position, but he gave it to him, understanding that most of his pacifistic decisions came from him.

Markus opted for Simon to join too, but he rejected the idea.

He wanted to explore.

Yet looking at the people scurrying out the gate to go do something else they had to, he couldn't help but feel lost.

Now as a deviant, he strayed from his programmed purpose and couldn't have felt more empty.

Looking at the android curled up in the middle of the park with the Jerry, Simon sighed. They stuck to doing what they have been despite many of them being deviant.

It's interesting. Their assigned purpose was a purpose they enjoyed. Simon enjoyed taking care of kids, sure, but didn't like that everyone could do anything they wanted to him and never fight back.

He didn't want to spend his days managing a child some parents couldn't. He wanted to manage his own life, and he couldn't even do that unless some android barged into his life to inspire him.

"Jerry won't leave Ralph until he feels better," he could hear him say. "Unless you want me to go. We won't force you."

Ralph sunk further in himself and closed his eyes. "You can leave if you want. It won't change Ralph. It won't change anything."

Simon, as he eavesdropped, could feel the loss of hope from where he was standing. Being immersed in the emotion he's known all too well, he nearly let his balloon fly up away to the sky when, instinctively, he grabbed it back once the string left his palm.

With that, he remembered what he was.

When all is said and done, he wasn't a human being. He was programmed to everything he did and spoke at one point. Everything was laid out in front of him and he threw that all away by going deviant.

"I am lost." He whispered to himself, still looking at the worker and the busted android. "I am really lost, wow, I need to sit down."

Simon found patch of grass nearby the barren playground and laid down, watching all the people pass by. At lunch, the place drained of people.

It was nice seeing the park filled only by a handful. The guy skating from earlier was still there, a group of friends were playing board games and eating pizza by a nearby table, while a family had a little picnic by an empty spot to his left.

It was composed of a mother, a child, a sibling, and... a PL600 that looked happy.

Their meal was mostly sandwiches, but the focus wasn't the food-- it was the conversation. Laughter filled the air while talks about everything and nothing escaped their lips.

Simon couldn't help but remember.

Rich. They flew everywhere. So many sights, and so many souvenirs to carry. A couple of children, and a pair of busy parents.

Sad, yes, but Simon loved the view from the top.

It felt like anti-gravity. The clouds were captivating. The lights shone brighter during the nights.

He stopped himself before he could recall anything any further. Looking around, he realized the men from the tree had began making their way into the soup cart.

He forced himself up and stretched, making sure his motors didn't get themselves stuck. Soup was good all around the world, so why shouldn't it be at a park?


	5. Chapter 5

  
"Soup is flavored water." Ralph recited, staring at the dish in front of him. "Humans want _juice_  with _meat and vegetables._ "

"Hey! It has other things too!" Jerry retorted, taking in a forkful of noodles and grabbing a bite. "Like pasta."

Ralph's face soured. "You _like_  the soup?"

Jerry, with a mouthful of the meal nodded vigorously. "It's mostly to check for contaminants or if it's... good," He chucked the food into his pseudo-digestive system, "also so the kids don't think we're weird."

The gardener looked at Jerry, confused. "...but Jerrys _are_  weird."

"Yeah." He responded. "Super weird."

The cart was as big as any average food truck. The interior was filled with the usual kitchen materials being handled by a female AX android with slanted eyes.

Striking in the cart's design, though, was the green and black color scheme. Its sign was painted on the front instead of the usual video projections.

Triangles of varying sizes meshed together to form the image of a bowl spilling out her cart name:  Supper.

"Androids having business." Ralph whispered, LED switching between blue and orange. "Androids having business and money."

"So cool." He caught Jerry looking at the android. "She came here one day, asked if she could set up her own place and sort of became a staple." Absently stirring the noodles with his utensils, he sighed. "She drew that on her own, assembled it on her own and ran it on her own. We offered to help, but she denied it."

Ralph's eyebrows furrowed. "Wh--why no help? Help is nice!"

Jerry leaned his head towards Ralph. " _If it's my business, I have to set it up myself,_  she said. It was a symbolic thing."

"Symbolic thing is very useless. Time could've been saved. Transport and set up take lots of time." Ralph recited, looking towards the android.

Bob hair that ended right to the bottom of her chin with thin eyes that shone a light shade of brown. A black spot underneath the left side of her lips and a smile that radiated comfort. She seemed like she enjoyed what she was doing.

"Autumn really gets you, doesn't it? The mood is so down. What I have will get you all warmed up! What's your order?"  
She exclaimed to a blonde customer, flashing her business smile. Unlike others, her smile didn't seem like it was of necessity.

"She's so warm to everybody, haha." Jerry said, a goofy grin on his face. "I think she's great for the park. Good money, good food, and amazing atmosphere."

Ralph studied Jerry, feeling he was acting a bit... odd. "Ralph thinks Jerry made a mistake." His eyes squinted as he lurched his head towards the android.

Jerry arched an eyebrow. "Mistake? Where?"

Ralph raised a finger at him, as if accusing him of something. "Jerry said _I._ "

Jerry nearly choked on the pasta in his mouth. "Did who we now?" He responded in shock.  _Ah, whoops._

"You Jerry is deviant." Ralph exclaimed, finger still on the worker. "Only you Jerry thinks business lady is good for the park."

Lucky for him, Ralph's volume wasn't so loud that Leila, or anybody outside their table was able to hear, but enough for a blonde android-- Simon, who was approaching a table nearby with a meal in hand and a balloon in another, was able to.

"Hey, we all think that she's doing wonderful things to keep the park fresh." Jerry explained. "It's just that I..."

Ralph was only a few inches away from Jerry's face, pointing at his chest. Jerry gulped. "...look at her differently than the others do."

Ralph's light shifted to orange. He looked to his left and scrunched his eyebrows. "What does that mean."

Jerry looked at him, then to Leila. Leila, having finished serving a couple, saw him and waved. Jerry, caught off guard, waved back and replied "Hey!" way too loud.

People stared, and Ralph panicked. "Hi! Yes! Screaming is fun!" He replied, making sure people think its normal.

It worked. People began to look away and thought it was a normal friend thing. Jerry sighed in relief.

Leila laughed. She laughed so hard, her hair went all over the place. Noticing, she ran her hand through, setting everything back.

Jerry could swear he felt his synthetic heart palpitate.

"Jerry? Jerry? Jerry? Hello? Jerry?" Ralph repeated, worried. Thinking he's crashed or lapsed his programming, Ralph grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him twice per second. "JERRY ARE YOU OKAY JERRY"

Jerry blinked and looked around in a daze. In front of him was a stressed out robot, confused on why he blanked from looking at someone else fix their hair.

"Yeah." Jerry replied. "Emotions are just...

 

hard."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for the lovely comments, by the way
> 
> it means a lot to me as a person who only recently got into writing fanfiction <3


	6. Chapter 6

"Strange Jerry." Ralph whispered to his rabbit. "Ralph thinks Leila has a lot to do with it."

He eyed the android walking up to the counter, giving back the utensils he'd used earlier.

"Look, Iris." He told his balloon, moving its head to face him. "He stands there. Strangely. Like it's strange."

In a way, though, it was. Ralph collected an aura with Jerry he can't quite place. His aura with the girl, though, is completely off-putting. Jerry lightly brushed fingers with the girl as he returned his items, a tint of blue enveloping his face.

"His face." Ralph looked at the rabbit. Iris, having a minor form of AI, stared back at him unblinking. "Jerry isn't... no, he can't be."

Iris glided itself closer to the android's face, seemingly to comfort him. "Jerry won't... die, right?"

The android in question was heavily invested into a conversation about work with the AX, always fixing his hair or shirt every now and then.

_Strange._

Ralph had now formed his hands into circles, placing them on top of his eyes for effect. He had seen several humans do such whenever they found his old home. He thought it looked awesome. "Ralph has no ailment database," he recited, "but Ralph doesn't want to take any chances-- but Ralph doesn't want Jerry to stop talking to the lady."

Jerry shined. That's the best way Ralph could describe it. He shined, yet he looked sick.

Something told him it was because of her.

Another Jerry stood nearby, raking the crisp autumn leaves into a pile. Ralph snuck out from his table, making sure Jerry doesn't notice. Iris hopped along the direction of the android in silence.

Like a flash, the Jerry raking disappeared to behind a leaf mountain, crouching down beside Ralph.

"ListenRalphneedstoknowifJerry-talking-to-girlwillbeokayRalphwon'thurtyou." He said, not having a second to lose.

"Well, hi too Ralph," Jerry whispered.

"Yes. Hi. Answer the question."

Jerry scratched the back of his head, processing the situation. "Oh! Yeah, he's okay. You really didn't need to get us to--" he motioned to the ground-- "here to ask!"

"Jerry's face was colored blood!" For effect, Ralph pointed to his left eye, the white area pooled in blue blood.

_Wait, what?_

_"_ What does Jerry mean that he's okay-!" The android was scream-whispering, LED at a bright orange.

"It's not a health issue." He blinked and grinned, a chuckle growing in his throat. "It's an emotion thing."

Ralph folded his arms. "Humans only do that when humans feel embarassed and weird. Why would _Jerry feel_   _that_  if he's talking to a _girl_?"

Jerry thought for a moment, a hand on his chin.

_Yeah. It's a human thing._

"Talking to a girl? Leila?"

Ralph's arms shot towards him. "Yes! That Jerry!" He kept moving his forearm up and down on each syllable. "Ralph thought he was sick!"

His voice was louder, yet still remained a somewhat whispery tone. Jerry's face relaxed. "He's fine, Ralph. No need to worry about him."

Ralph dropped to the ground, back to the grass. "Agh! You-- Jerry-- is-- saying-- 'him'- now-!" Ralph repeatedly smashed the ground with his fists.

"He just... thinks about some things differently-!" He defended, catching a falling leaf and stacking it neatly into the pile. "Honestly, though, it's okay to get confused. We got scared the first time."

"Well, _Jerry_ needs to check _Jerry_ because Ralph is confused!"

He was laying flat now, landing with a huge thud and crackle of the grass beneath him. His arms outstretched like a starfish.

The park was a low whir in his audio components, the occasional cars and planes breaking the atmosphere. Noon hadn't exactly been the best time for parks. Jerry observed the area beyond the pile and spotted Simon in one of Leila's tables.

Two androids with the different kinds of broken.

Looking back at the man on the ground (again), he found that Ralph's LED shone blue.

His breathing was relaxed and Jerry could hear him having an argument with the little sentience his balloon-- Iris-- possessed.

It was adorable.

Before Jerry knew it, he had been leaning towards the man's face, trying to observe it.

There, on his left cheek, was a chunk of his surface plate missing. Around it looked like gashes. Was it blades? Was it fire? Jerry didn't know.

Part of his scalp had been scratched off as well, blue blood seeping through the crevices between his endoskeletal shell and surface plate as with the gash on his cheek.

_Who would do this?_

Ralph looked him in the eye, an incredulous look on his face. "What are you doing." and began shaking.

Jerry snapped back, dragging himself away.

Ralph's stress level skyrocketed from the interaction, making Jerry want to deactivate his systems for not being able to realize it.

"We were--"

"Don't look at it! They're abhorrent, abhorrent!" He begged, voice nearly close to a cry.

Ralph pulled his legs up and scrambled backwards, keeping a few good feet away from the judgemental Jerry.

He didn't shout it, but he didn't just say it. He made sure not to cause any more trouble since earlier. Now, though? Now, he was being observed for the reminders of what he once experienced.

It was enough for Jerry to feel like he made a mistake.

Ralph's light went red, orange, red...

...and back to blue.

"Hey, it's not bad! We mean, as an effect it's kinda bad, but it's not bad-bad that it makes _you_... bad..."

Ralph crouched underneath his legs, eyes trained on the worker.

 _How can we do this?_  He messaged the others.

"Jerry." He stated, voice quivering. "Ralph knows you're good, but Ralph needs to tell you to stop."

The android stood up, hands hugging himself.

"He'll be right back." Ralph told him, walking away to the exit. His hand ran up and down his torso, comforting himself. Even from a distance, Jerry could see he was shaken up.

So why was his light at blue?

 _Shit,_  Jerry thought.

_That's one off of the daily swear._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long wait! life took me along with university, haha. thanks for being interested in the story, dearies~!


	7. Meeting

  
It was warm.

The smiles on the children's face greeting him every morning. The bacon and pancakes he cooked every other day. The cream colors coupled with dark brown shades complementing the household furniture.

It was all wooden, but it was classy. _Modern vintage_ , that's how they defined it. They worked to make their house the home they dreamed of.

If home meant seeing your children once a week.

Was it his fault he was closer to them?

\---

The greenhouse wasn't exactly the best place to work at. Sure, it was work. Honest work. It was his purpose.

Seeing those natural greens, oranges, and reds filled him with a sense of achievement. He was programmed to.

To be calm because of it wasn't.

Maybe it was the emotions.

The simulation.

\---

"What are we going to do?" Jerry paced around, light shifting from color to color. "Simon is lost, right? He is lost. Ralph needs help. Any help. These are very good examples, but we think we're going to need more concrete stuff. It's an A for effort for all of you!"

Looking at the touchscreen board, Jerry glazed over the list of suggestions for how they approach the situation. Top to bottom, the thing was filled with things like 'get service dog', 'let them play in the playground', and 'not set the meeting within the function area at the far back-right of the park'.

"The balloons were a good start." One mentioned, followed by the mutter of agreement.

"Ralph seems to love the balloon." Jerry remarked, pointing toward the crowd of Jerrys. "Simon looks like he has some background with his thing."

Jerry, sitting in the front with a green cap looked around. "Oh, so everybody thought about it."

Beside him, Jerry patted his shoulder. "It's okay, Jerry. Deviancy can cut you off sometimes."

"Well, this isn't really helping." Jerry in front proclaimed, saving the notes set on the board. "We don't even know what the hip-hop-scop we're doing."

Somewhere in the crowd, a Jerry chuckled, then coughed in recovery.

"I think we should... be there?"

The Jerrys blinked in unison, all flashing orange. The deviants shone blue in realization. "Wh-what are you saying, Jerry?" Jerry in front asked.

Jerry looked left and right, pulling on his collar to ease off the stress bubbling inside his uniform. The Jerrys had their eyes fixated on him, expecting an answer. "Well-- I'm saying we... be their friend? Like the- like the kids, but more mature?"

The ones who haven't separated from their programming looked at each other, confused. _Same with children? More mature? What does he mean?_

A Jerry in the crowd raised his hand. "Jerry! We have a question!"

"Oh, go ahead."

"Okay, so..." he asked. "...how do we do that? We don't have a program for mature friendships. All we have is 'Adult Relations'.

We don't think that's going to help."

Jerry in front nodded and sat on the cemented platform.

"We're stumped."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahh!! thank you for 100+ kudos!!! as a new writer, that means a lot haha. sorry for the short chapter. prelims hit me. seriously, its the third week and we have exams already;;


End file.
